Pope transfers French archbishop to smaller diocese

In an unusual move, Pope Francis has transferred Archbishop Pascal Wintzer, the archbishop of Poitiers, France, since 2012, to the far smaller Archdiocese of Sens.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1987, Archbishop Wintzer, 64, was appointed auxiliary bishop of Poitiers in 2007 and archbishop of Poitiers in 2012. 

The Archdiocese of Poitiers has 661,000 Catholics; between 2016 and 2019, the archbishop reduced the number of parishes from 600 to 28.

The Archdiocese of Sens, the prelate’s new archdiocese, has only 200,000 Catholics.

In Sens, Archbishop Wintzer succeeds Archbishop Hervé Giraud, who also was transferred to a smaller diocese.